Finishing for Transparency?

Discussion in 'Finishing Techniques' started by MikeR44, Jan 9, 2016.

  1. MikeR44
    MikeR44 Member
    What (and how) do I need to do to make both the Transparent Acrylic and the Frosted Ultra Detail models as transparent as possible? I need detailed instructions. Thanks.
     
  2. I was hoping others could chime in on this as well as I am hoping to find out if there is a way of chemically coating or finishing the surface t make it as clear as possible without sanding/buffing (as the scale of the model is way to small to make sanding/polishing not really feasible.
     
    IssacGG likes this.
  3. IssacGG
    IssacGG Member
    very interested in techniques as well
     
  4. he6agon
    he6agon Well-Known Member
    I clean my FUD/FXD models with Simple Green, which does not damage the finish like Bestine, alcohol or acetone. After assembling some parts with CA (super glue), I noticed where the glue had been applied the plastic became quite transparent. It occurred to me that a clear coat of Future acrylic floor polish (or whatever they're calling it these days) might achieve the same result. However, I have not tried it since none of my parts are intended to be transparent.

    I am working on something that will be translucent, so I'll try out the technique then and report my results.
     
  5. Andrewsimonthomas
    Andrewsimonthomas Well-Known Member
    @he6agon thats very interesting technique, please keep us posted
     
  6. NoahLI
    NoahLI Well-Known Member
    I saw a Formlab SLA printer video where the guy said lacquering after cleaning and UV curing pass produces a clear glass like finish. SW FUD/FED is slightly different process, but the resin material is similar I think? Toughest part would be cleaning the wax support material completely without damaging the print especially at small sizes.
     
  7. he6agon
    he6agon Well-Known Member
    Well, my attempts at transparency didn't work. The Future didn't produce the same effect as a coat of super glue. Since super glue obscures details I won't use it on the finished surface of a model, but coating the interior seems to help give some better passage of light through 0.040" thick parts.
     
  8. mkroeker
    mkroeker Well-Known Member
    If your experiment left you with some half-ruined part, you could try a polyurethane varnish (or even hairspray) just to see if it happens to have the desired index of refraction. Seems to me that people who recommended Future in past:) discussions did so for sealing/priming strong&flexible or sandstone, not for optical smoothing of FxD
     
  9. hanelyp
    hanelyp Well-Known Member
    Following with interest. I have a rather fanciful optical element designed that would be prohibitive to produce without 3D printing or CNC (an octahedral "crystal" that focuses light from a point source at one end to a mostly collimated beam). The production method I've had in mind starts with surface finishing a master of whatever material is convenient, making a silicone mold, and casting the element in resin. One gotcha I'm facing in my case is the design is sensitive to refractive index, and documentation on refractive index of cast resins tends to be fuzzy.
     
  10. MrNibbles
    MrNibbles Well-Known Member
    There was the "Kraken in Crystal" project and you can see photos in this thread.
    https://www.shapeways.com/forum/t/fudtastic.5289/

    As I recall some fine polishing was needed to get a decent optically smooth surface, but the big take away I remember was that FUD was more transparent than transparent acrylic. This was before FXD hit the scene but I doubt FXD would be terribly different internally with respect to transparency. Obviously polishing is easier to accomplish with an object having flat surfaces (unless it's cylindrical in which case the polishing could be done on a lathe).